Are you truly happy with your Phoenix Cruiser?

OFDPOS wrote:
About measurements: True the PC is narrower , BUT add the slide out on the drivers side and the awning on the passenger side, technically you are now just as wide or wider then a regular C if you have the topper('s) on the slide outs.

Not so with the Phoenix Cruiser because the wall is not straight up vertical. It has a curve or angle to it. The widest dimension is half way up. The awning is inset when considering the various protrusions like the power access door, CATV door, and fuel door on the driver side, and the door handle and door stop sticking out on the passenger side, the awning is of no concern. Not sure of a slide out topper because we don't have one.

Here is our Phoenix Cruiser. We don't have a slide out but you can see the door handle and door stop sticking farther than the awning. The awning sticks out about as far as the bulge in the wall. This data is critical when parking our PC inside our garage.

About measurements:
True the PC is narrower , BUT add the slide out on the drivers side and the awning on the passenger side, technically you are now just as wide or wider then a regular C if you have the topper('s) on the slide outs.

I found that out first hand when we sold and upgraded to a Winnebago Aspect.
The 2 slides on the drivers side has toppers which stick out about 4 inches and the awing on the passenger side sticks out about the same.

In the real world may not make much difference, but in my world and where I park it , I now have barely 5 inches to spare parking it along side our garage and neighbor fence.

Harvey51 wrote:
Ron, you were the first to help me with a small difficulty when we bought our used MH in 2008. We have enjoyed every day in it since then and I've probably read all your informative posts since then. Thank you!

And I thank you for sharing that with me. It is nice to know my contributions get utilized here and there.

Sorry to hear you are getting away less, as we are. It has been looking after MIL for the last few years but now the volunteering is threatening to keep us home. Fortunately some of the meetings are a few hours away so we can go in the MH.

Ron, you were the first to help me with a small difficulty when we bought our used MH in 2008. We have enjoyed every day in it since then and I've probably read all your informative posts since then. Thank you!

My wife and I special ordered our Phoenix Cruiser 2350 new in 2007 with just us two considered for accommodations. We were 49 years old at that time. It has been a great motor home for our travel style and our primary destinations of national parks, monuments, and other public lands. It also was chosen because it fits inside our garage as seen HERE. Our only complaint with it is that we can't seem to get away as often as we'd like. Coming up on year number eleven, our PC has just 36,500 miles. We try hard to get out on the open road once a year for 3 to 4 weeks at a time. We try our best to avoid private campgrounds with hook-ups, so our on-board facilities are very important and our PC does real well in that regard for the two of us.

From the shortest to the longest PC model, the E350/E450 platform are all dimensionally identical with exception to the variation in length. The E450 models stand 3" taller than the E350 only because the E450 itself stands that much taller. The house on it's back is the same height and width.

Model 2552 seems to be Phoenix's hottest seller based on the Phoenix forum. It is built on the E450 chassis and measures 27'-10" end-to-end, so it's not a "shorty" by any means. Like every model, it is offered with an optional slide out which is a big hit with most buyers. The longest models are offered with two or three optional slide outs.

Every PC regardless of model measures only 93" wide on the exterior. The tallest of PCs is any one built on the E450 which is 10'-1" to the tippy-top of the a/c unit. PCs in-general are marketed for people who want more than a class B van, but less than a typical class C motor home. I do find it interesting that PCs in the longer lengths are so popular. People love the scaled-down profile, but many go "long" for more room. They also love slide outs for even more interior space. It is a strange phenomena to me to scale-down but scale "long" and scale "out" with slide outs, surely a unique offering that is very successful for the company.

Models 2350 and 2400 are offered on the E350, E450, and also the Sprinter chassis. The Sprinter is the same width as all other PCs, and has an over-all height identical to an E450 chassis.

Phoenix offers a 4x4 Quigley conversion for the E350 and E450 based models.

The company changed ownership nearly a year ago. From what I can tell...."So Far So Good". The new owners are a pair of fellows who are entrenched into the company just like the founding owner was. They are hand's-on guys who understand what made the company great and are very careful not to make penny-wise dollar-foolish decisions. Considering the change of ownership, I am impressed so little has changed. Of coarse it's not all roses, but surely not thorny as often happens with a buy-out. It looks like the company will remain reputable for many years to come. Surely not a disaster as happened with the company Born Free.

Dave,

You may want to take a close look at the new Winnie Minnie 22M: https://winnebagoind.com/products/class-c/2018/minnie-winnie/floorplans

It has just as many and varied options as the PC, larger tank capacities (including propane tank size), and most likely more interior and exterior storage room than PC (couldn't find that listed for the PC).

For comparison, here's the most recent PC specs I could find: http://www.phoenixusarv.com/assets/2015Brochure.pdf

Thanks everyone, I do appreciate the answers directed at my question and it seems to me that PCs' are a lot like Lazy Daze and a few other RV makers in that owners are usually so happy with them that finding a used one is rare. We will be heading back near Elkhart this summer and I may swing by the factory and look at them first hand.

Our Winnie is a really nice rig and there are a lot of things I love about it but **** it is big. Twenty years ago, I really wanted something that size but now it is getting to be a lot of work for ME. The DW likes the Thor Vegas 5.5 and the Winnie Trend for the floor plans. They are nice but we just didn't want to invest 80K in a rig for maybe four or five years.

We'll find another PC on line or something similar that is in a price range we are comfortable with. In the meantime, back out and finish putting a cabinet where the hole is from removing the old boat anchor TVs of yesteryear.

We love our Phoenix Cruiser 2350 but it is simply a C and is not stealthy. It is lower and more narrow than most Cs and is sculpted, not a rectangular box. It's tanks are large and we use it mostly for extended boondocking trips. Troubles with it? None.

Yesterday, I went to a rv show and looked at several units, came home and told my wife I didn't see another Class C that was anywhere near the fit, finish, appearance and comfort of our Phoenix Cruiser.

Paul

Thanks for the info. I like the size of the 2100, but I may go with a "B" because of stealth reasons.

GailS wrote:
We owned their smallest model the 2100 for a year and a half. We quickly confirmed we are B folks and much prefer driving a van.

Wondered what you were driving...